Improvement in apparatus for inducing the flow of oil from wells



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR INDUCING THE FLOW OF OIL FROM WELLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 54,859, dated May 22,1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J oHN B. CHRISTIAN, of

" Mount Carroll, in the county of Carroll, in the State of Illinois,have invented a new Device for Oil-Wells; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full and .exact description thereof, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon.

The nature of my invention consists in providing an oil-well that is nota flowing well with a device constructed in such a manner that the gasthat forms in oil-wells will be confined in the well and utilized forthe purpose of causing' the oil to iow to the top ot' the well.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

Figure 1 is a perspective View. Fig. 2 is a sectional view, and Fig. 3is a view ot'the hollow double copper cylinder. Fig. 4 is a section ofthe sharp-edged hollow cylinder.

I use a piece of gas-pipe, o1' its equivalent, for the tube A, Fig. 1,having perforations near its lower end, as shown at M M, for the purposeot admitting the oil, and having a ange, F, Figs. l and 2, nearits upperend, to receive and hold the hollowT copper cylinder to its place, andhaving a screw-thread cut on the inside of it at the top, for thepurpose ot' removing it from the well when empty, or whenever desired,and having a metallic strip, O, across the bottom of the tube A, andhaving a nut attached to it near the center to receive the rod H, whichis screwed into it. I then construct a double hollow cylinder of copperor other suitable metal or material, having slots cc in the sides ot'it, arranged so that the slots will be covered in each cylinder by theother, even when the cylinders are expanded against the sides of thewell so as to be nearly air-tight. These cylinders are secured togetherby rivets or otherwise. The slots are for the purpose of having themetal or other material expand readily, as shown at B, Fig. 3. I alsoconstruct a hollow cylinder, y, of iron or other suitable metal, sharpat the lower extremity, to operate as a wedge in forcing out the coppercylinders against the rocky sides of the Well, for the purpose ofsecuring and holding the pipe A instantly to its place in the bottom ofJthe well when pressure is applied from the weight of the drill-rodsused in boring the well. This cylinder also has a screw-thread on theinside of it at the top, so it can be withdrawn readily when desired.(Shown at y, Figs 1, 2, and 4.) I `also construct a tube, I), having acircular base, E, at the lower end of it, and a screw, K, at the top ofit to connect it to the drill-rods. I also use a rod, H, having theupper part of it square, as shown at N, Fig. 2, and extending throughthe square hole R, Fig. 5, in the circular base E into the tube lD,Figs. l and 2, and having a nnt,T, secured to the top of it, so that itcannot be withdrawn when the pipe A is being lowered into the well byit. I also use the common seed-bag. (Shown at o o, Fig. 2.)

The operation of lowering and fastening the tube A in the well is asfollows: The slotted double hollow copper cylinder is placed over thepipe A, resting on the flange F. Theil the sharp-edged hollow cylinder yis placed with the sharp edge resting between the pipe A and the coppercylinder B. Then the rod H N, with the tube D attached, is screwed intothe nut P on the strip O, at the bottom ot' the tube A, and the whole isattached to the drill-rods by inserting the screw K, at the upper end ofthe tube D, into the lower end ofthe drill-rod. It is then lowered toits place in the bottom of the well, and the weight of the drill-rodsrested for a moment on it, when the circular base E will press on thesharp-edged hollow cylinder y, which will expand the double hollowcylinder of copper against the rocky sides of the well, when the tubeAwill be instantly secured rmly in the well. K The drill-rods are thenturned several rounds, when the rod H will be detached from the tube Aby unscrewing at the nut P. The tube D andthe rod H are then drawn upout of the well with the drill-rods.

U in Fig. 2 represents a cavity in the rocksV at the bottom of anoil-well. As the gas generated by the oil is lighter than water, it willoccupy the upper space in the cavity. The oil is lighter than water, andwill iioat on its surface, and will remain, if undisturbed, between thetwo., Therefore, if a well is bored into the upper or gas portion of thecavity the well will not be a iiowing well, but will require a pimp; butif the device A and its accompaniments are inserted in the well, asshown at Fig. 2, down through the gas into the oilstrata, then a ilowing well will be the result. Again,

if a Well is sunk at G down to X, a owing Well will be the result; butwhen the surface of the oil becomes lowered on a level with the bore atX the flow Will cease. Then if the device A and accompaniments areinserted, as above described, and reaching down to the bottom of theoil, and shutting off' the esca-ping,` gas, a ilowing Well will again bethe result; and ast-he oil generates gas constantly, wells that havebeen pumped for some time could possibly be changed into flowing wells,by using this device, in a short. time.

What- I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,isv 1. The combination of the hanged pipe A With the slotted 4doublehollow cylinder B and the hollowv cylinder y, as arranged in relation toeach other, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. Lowering the pipe A, or its equivalent, and securing it irmly to itsplace in the Well, by means of the tube D,witl1 its circular base E, incombination with the rod H, substantially as set forth. Y

' JOHN B. CHRISTIAN. Witnesses:

TI-IoMAs T. JACOBS, L. B. HAMMOND.

